This was release number three for this Florida power-metal act, and the first with ex-Conception singer Roy Khan at the mike. With all the attention Kamelot have been getting lately, it’s interesting to look back at their earlier work. In fact, a quick tour through "Siége Perilous" will make you appreciate them even more.

This album was entirely written without Khan, and in fact he was only brought in at the eleventh hour as a session vocalist, with no intention of joining the band. So even though Khan’s signature vocals are here, musically this is all old Kamelot. Comparing this album with "The Fourth Legacy" – its follow-up – it is startling how different the band sounds. "Siége Perilous", while not a bad album, sounds stilted and dull in comparison to the band’s later work. The songs here are all pretty much slow or midpaced, and the music, while well-executed, lacks the invigorating spark that has become a Kamelot trademark. It’s obvious that Khan had little time to come up with vocal lines, and that he had no hand in the writing, as his trademark vocal hooks are almost entirely absent. He manages to inject a bit of fire into "Irea", "Rhydin" and "Parting Visions", but all in all the album is remarkably enervated.

The CD package is very well-done, and the cover is hella cool. Even the lyrics here are as good as we expect from Kamelot. It is just too bad that the actual music does not measure up.

In retrospect it’s pretty obvious that Kamelot had become moribund by this album, and that Khan provided a life-giving shot in the arm. Comparing this album with its successor, the difference is like night and day. "Siége Perilous" is a rather plodding, listless album that sounds like the work of a band that has lost its way. And I would feel bad about saying that if I did not have the comfort of their subsequent renaissance. This is an album for the fans only. It does have its moments, but it pales in comparison to their later work.